French military board Russian 'shadow tanker' suspected of role in Europe drone chaos

The French military has boarded an oil tanker which some suspect could have been used as a launchpad for drone flights over Denmark that caused chaos. Emmanuel Macron said the ship, anchored off the coast of Saint-Nazaire in western France, had committed "very serious wrongdoings".

The French president linked the vessel, known as 'Pushpa' or 'Boracay', to Russia's so-called shadow fleet which is used to avoid Western sanctions over Moscow's war in Ukraine. The tanker was sailing off the coast of Denmark last week and was cited by European naval experts as possibly being involved in drone flights across the NATO country. The sightings of drones near Danish airports and military sites caused major disruption, with Copenhagen's defence minister describing the incidents as a "hybrid attack", adding it appeared a "professional actor" was behind the "systematic" flights.

Moscow has denied any involvement in the drone sightings and said it had no information about the ship.

Without commenting on the reports linking the ship to the drone incidents in Denmark, Mr Macron, who was speaking at an EU summit in Copenhagen, said: "There were some very serious wrongdoings made by this crew, which is why there are legal proceedings in the case."

He suggested the vessel had been stopped by French authorities' "intervention", adding: "I think it's a good thing that this work has been done and that we've been able to stop it."

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a French government source told the AFP news agency the French Navy boarded the vessel for being part of Russia's fleet used to circumnavigate sanctions.

The vessel was sailing under the flag of Benin and appears on a list of ships targeted by EU sanctions against Russia.

It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said intelligence suggested the Russians are "using tankers to launch and control drones that they launch against European countries".

"This is further evidence that the Baltic Sea and other seas should be closed to Russian tankers, at least for the shadow fleet," he said.

Brest prosecutor's office said a judicial investigation has been opened into the Pushpa/Boracay's crew's "refusal to cooperate" and "failure to justify the nationality of the vessel".

A ship tracking website shows the vessel left a Russian oil terminal near Saint Petersburg on September 20, sailed off Denmark and has stayed off the coast of the French western port of Saint-Nazaire since Sunday.

Drones have also been spotted near airports in Norway since last week, while a German state official on Wednesday confirmed it was investigating drone sightings over critical infrastructure in the north of the country..

"Drone-like aircraft were observed and reported in the Dithmarschen region, in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, as well as over Kiel - including above critical infrastructure and military facilities," said State Interior Minister Sabine Sütterlin-Waack.

Last month, Russia was accused of "reckless" violations of NATO airspace by fighter jets and drones.